I have a quick question, what do I need to combine 2 antenna signals that are pointing in opposite direction???

Originally posted by roachxp
I have a quick question, what do I need to combine 2 antenna signals that are pointing in opposite direction??? Two seperate antenna inputs on your TV.

Originally posted by Shape
I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden, I'm getting very little signal strength on 7-1 and 38-1. Everything else is coming in fine. I've tried adjusting the antenna, but I can't find a spot where everything comes in like it did before.

I lost 38-1 and 7-1 as well. I'm in Nashua NH. 38-1 was always a bit iffy, but now it's dead and gone.

Sure bites with the end of Enterprise coming up, and just a few more hours of eye candy left on that "network."

Originally posted by roachxp
I have a quick question, what do I need to combine 2 antenna signals that are pointing in opposite direction???

Stark Electronic has a signal combiner that will do the job.
www.starkelectronic.com

Originally posted by Mike Emery
I lost 38-1 and 7-1 as well. I'm in Nashua NH. 38-1 was always a bit iffy, but now it's dead and gone.

Sure bites with the end of Enterprise coming up, and just a few more hours of eye candy left on that "network." Not to mention all the SoxHD games coming up this coming season!

Actually both 7-1 and 38-1 are coming in pretty strong this afternoon.

Originally posted by Benji
Not to mention all the SoxHD games coming up this coming season!

But none of the games will be on Channel 38 in HD according to the NESN site. Oh, if only I am wrong about ths!!

Originally posted by bcushman
But none of the games will be on Channel 38 in HD according to the NESN site. Oh, if only I am wrong about ths!! Check post 5916 by avic:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=226652&p

Benji: I'm not sure what your referring me to. It looks like it is the Comcast thread, but I am talking about OTA which doesn't show up on the NESN HD schedule for Friday night games on Channel 38.

Avic is an insider who apparently works for Comcast. He seems to have very accurate information and in his post claims the April 8th game on UPN38 will be the first HD game for 38 this season. Maybe Bob Yankowitz can confirm this. Sounds to me like 38 (and if 4 has any games) will be doing the HD thing this season.

Originally posted by jalferes
Stark Electronic has a signal combiner that will do the job.
www.starkelectronic.com

Thanks

Originally posted by Benji
Avic is an insider who apparently works for Comcast. He seems to have very accurate information and in his post claims the April 8th game on UPN38 will be the first HD game for 38 this season. Maybe Bob Yankowitz can confirm this. Sounds to me like 38 (and if 4 has any games) will be doing the HD thing this season.

Boy, if this is correct, it is great news! Thanks

Is 38.1 HD on Comcast? If so what, channel?

Thanks,

Rich

Originally posted by GePapa
Anyone having sound issues with 4-1?
I am getting picutre but no sound.

YES! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US! THERE HAS BEEN NO SOUND FOR SEVERAL MONTHS ON OTA! I'M ON A SIR-TS360 SAMSUNG DIRECTV UNIT OTA. PLEASE HELP! NO MARCH MADNESS IN HD!

Originally posted by psy44
YES! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US! THERE HAS BEEN NO SOUND FOR SEVERAL MONTHS ON OTA! I'M ON A SIR-TS360 SAMSUNG DIRECTV UNIT OTA. PLEASE HELP! NO MARCH MADNESS IN HD!

This is a known issue - you need to take out your zip codes and re-scan - search this forum and you will find the instructions. You will have sound - but no guide info - the engineers are supposed to be working on it

We've got half of iGuide in Taunton. Only on my DCT2000. My 5100 is still the old guide right now.

Originally posted by jalferes
This is a known issue - you need to take out your zip codes and re-scan - search this forum and you will find the instructions. You will have sound - but no guide info - the engineers are supposed to be working on it


Thanks for the info. I cleared out my zip and rescanned, 4-1 now has audio.
Quick question, currently I left my zip at 0000, should I change it back to my real zip?

Originally posted by GePapa
Thanks for the info. I cleared out my zip and rescanned, 4-1 now has audio.
Quick question, currently I left my zip at 0000, should I change it back to my real zip?

If you do that you will lose the audio again :(

We have to wait for Samsung to come up with a fix

38-1 is still DEAD.

Anybody in the area receiving it?

WBZ-DT has been showing IMAX films late Sat eventings/Sun mornings. Last week they messed up and showed it SD letterbox, but this week they were showing To The Max HD 5.1 DD. It appears to be unscheduled.

So I suppose if you only have OTA, (INHD shows these constantly) this is your chance to see them.

Originally posted by Mike Emery
38-1 is still DEAD.

Anybody in the area receiving it?
We are transmitting a normal signal, at full power.

Originally posted by RYankowitz
We are transmitting a normal signal, at full power.

I am getting WSBK-DT in Nashua tonight, but there is a clicking in the audio.


(using a DTC-100 built into an RCA F38310)

all other Boston digital stations look and sound fine.

I've also noticed the staticy audio problem was back on 38-1 a few days ago (Fri maybe?) on my Panny TU-HDS20. I'm receiving all other DT broadcasts fine, as well.

Hey Guys,

I just bought a Hughes HIRD-E8 because it was a great deal and just saw my first glance of HD on my infocus. Let's just say you could see the sweat dripping off of the guy's faces in the NCAA games this weekend! At 78" inches, even with the lamp on, the picture was amazing!

Anyways, a couple of things...

1. I'm only able to get about 2-3 digital channels at any given time depending on where I put my indoor antenna. I temporarily bought an amplified one from RS which is similar looking to the Zenith Silver Sensor. I thought everything would just come right in, but not so. I live in Waltham so I thought that the signals would be a piece of cake to get in. I'm in the first floor of a 3 story apartment building surrounded by 3 story apt buildings. So perhaps that's why? Would using a different antenna make all of the difference? I'm assuming an outdoor one (or maybe a more powerful indoor one) would make the difference?

2. Also, we will be moving to Ashland/Framingham (single family home, a couple of months or so) eventually, which still isn't all that far from the towers. Is it foolish to keep this HD receiver for OTA when I'll be moving and don't know what kind of signal I will get, or, with the right outdoor antenna on my new house, will I almost definately get all the high def in that area? It's just a great deal for the Hughes, but at the same time, I don't want to waste the money if it's not going to work...

3. Is some HD better than others? For example, one of the NCAA games we saw Friday night was steller, while Bernie Mac was "decent". Not bad, but still not amazing like the game.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Live sporting events on CBSHD broadcast in 1080i will always look better than anything on FOX, which is shot in 720p. As far as your antenna issue is concerned, the only recommendation I would have is to go with the antennasdirect DB4, which is only 29X16, and can be mounted on a j-pole outside facing the antennas in Needham. Your not likely to do any better inside of your apartment, although if it is your only option, then you need to get it near a window facing the antennas.

www.antennasdirect.com

I use the DB4 @ 36 miles and it is fairly relaible for all of the major networks.

Good luck:)

I have a 720p DLP TV, and I think that CBS's broadcasts look better than FOX, but obviously not because of the resolution because all I am seeing is 720p. FOX's broadcasts all look very grainy and noisy compared to the other networks, regardless of resolution.

Originally posted by Shape
I have a 720p DLP TV, and I think that CBS's broadcasts look better than FOX, but obviously not because of the resolution because all I am seeing is 720p. FOX's broadcasts all look very grainy and noisy compared to the other networks, regardless of resolution.

Some say that FOX starves bandwidth on alot of their HD Broadcasts.

Thanks,

How about that antenna that everyone recommends? I've seen it discussed somewhere before, something like CR4228, or something like that. I can't remember the actual name of it, but people say it works fantastic.

Anyways, do you think Framingham/Ashlland is an area where you can get good signals with the right antenna?

Just trying to figure out if it's okay to keep the receiver/tuner for now...

Thanks!

Also, if anyone is familiar with the Hughes receivers and could help me out , that would be great. I only use it for OTA, not D***Tv, but have an access card.

However, there are alot of setup things like scan, zip code (which I don't think works unless I'm subscribed to D****Tv, etc.

Sorry, I'm new to all this and don't exactly know how to use it all. The directions for the receiver are not clear at all, at least not for me. Thanks!

Originally posted by midfiman
Thanks,

How about that antenna that everyone recommends? I've seen it discussed somewhere before, something like CR4228, or something like that. I can't remember the actual name of it, but people say it works fantastic.

Anyways, do you think Framingham/Ashlland is an area where you can get good signals with the right antenna?

Just trying to figure out if it's okay to keep the receiver/tuner for now...

Thanks!

The Silversenor will work fine in Ashland, will 2 town past them and I have 2 silversensors outside on the roof 1 for Boston/NH/Cape and 1 for RI/CT stations, and pickup 99% thats with no tree around.

Originally posted by Benji
Avic is an insider who apparently works for Comcast. He seems to have very accurate information and in his post claims the April 8th game on UPN38 will be the first HD game for 38 this season. Maybe Bob Yankowitz can confirm this. Sounds to me like 38 (and if 4 has any games) will be doing the HD thing this season.
WSBK-DT will be broadcasting a fair number of Red Sox games in HD, beginning April 3rd.

Thanks roachxp. I didn't know that the Zenith could be used for outdoors. I thought it was an indoor antenna?

Thanks!

So i've been doing some reading and it looks like the SS is only for UHF. So is it true that I can't use that antenna to recieve CBS, NBC and ABC? The current Terk I have (which apparently isn't anywhere near as good as the SS from countless reviews I'm reading is getting those channels, at different times).

Definately a little bit of confusion...

Sorry about all the questions, but then again, that's what this forum is for, right?

Thanks!

All the Boston HDTV stations are UHF. I have a Silver Sensor, and get them all. A stations DTV and TV channel assignments are different. DTV uses PSIPs to automatically remap the station back to their natural number. On antennaweb.org, or somewhere in this thread, there is a list of the actual channel numbers of the Boston DTV signals.

Originally posted by midfiman
Thanks roachxp. I didn't know that the Zenith could be used for outdoors. I thought it was an indoor antenna?

Thanks!

I made my on little stand out of wood with 2 slot to insert the 2 antenna parts one facing NE the other S-SW.

Originally posted by RYankowitz
WSBK-DT will be broadcasting a fair number of Red Sox games in HD, beginning April 3rd. Great news Bob...thanks for the confirmation.

Thanks guys, very useful info, I'll have to try out the SS and return the Terk.

FYI - I definately recommend the Infocus 4805 to people. HD looks phenomenal on that thing, even thought it's only EDTV. At the price that they are being pushed out at, it's like a no brainer. Not to mention, the picture can easily be seen with background lamp on.

Anyways, not for everyone, but thought i'd recommend it if you're really into HD.

For some reason I am now having a hard time getting UPN38. I'm currently using a Samsung TS-360 with a DB2 antenna in N. Andover. Would it do any good to hook up a Silver Sensor with a splitter to go along with the DB2? I have a SS collecting dust. I used to get it no problem with my current rig but now all I get is pixelization.

Originally posted by RYankowitz
WSBK-DT will be broadcasting a fair number of Red Sox games in HD, beginning April 3rd. Excellent!! Adelphia just added WSBK-DT yesterday!! Go Sox :D

So If something like the Silver Sensor seems to work out in Westborough, i'm assuming it's safe to say that if I had any problems with a Silver Sensor, something like an Antenna Direct DB4 would definately work mounted on the roof if I lived in Ashland/Framingham, yes?

I just want to make sure my OTA tuner doesn't go to waste once I move. Thanks!

Originally posted by RYankowitz
WSBK-DT will be broadcasting a fair number of Red Sox games in HD, beginning April 3rd.

But will the April 3rd game be blacked out on UPN38, since ESPN2-HD will be doing the game in HD along with NESN-HD and even YES-HD will be going the game.

hi guys, new to the forum....just found it.

I recently added DirecTV to my setup and I am not having some problems w/ OTA. I have a built in tuner and can get CBS 4-1 perfectly. When i scan with my Direct HD box H10 it shows up and the picture is perfect but there is NO sound. All the other OTAs have sound but CBS. Do they do something different with their audio that my H10 will not work with?

Does anyone know of a fix for this???

Thanks

[Posted by asousa]
I recently added DirecTV to my setup and I am not having some problems w/ OTA. I have a built in tuner and can get CBS 4-1 perfectly. When i scan with my Direct HD box H10 it shows up and the picture is perfect but there is NO sound. All the other OTAs have sound but CBS. Do they do something different with their audio that my H10 will not work with?

Does anyone know of a fix for this???

Originally posted by jalferes
This is a known issue - you need to take out your zip codes and re-scan - search this forum and you will find the instructions. You will have sound - but no guide info - the engineers are supposed to be working on it

My Hughes Box had a zip code in it (it was used) when I got it, but I don't have DirectTV service, I'm only using it for OTA. Do I need to change the code, or does it not make any difference for OTA? I'm not really sure how to set it all up since it's a little confusing, thanks.

Originally posted by midfiman
My Hughes Box had a zip code in it (it was used) when I got it, but I don't have DirectTV service, I'm only using it for OTA. Do I need to change the code, or does it not make any difference for OTA? I'm not really sure how to set it all up since it's a little confusing, thanks. Since the Hughes receiver does not process PSIP programming information, the zip code means nothing unless you were connected to a DIRECTV satellite receiving information from that satellite.

Originally posted by roachxp
But will the April 3rd game be blacked out on UPN38, since ESPN2-HD will be doing the game in HD along with NESN-HD and even YES-HD will be going the game.

No the game will be shown on UPN38 like all Friday Night games. Its the one game this season that will be broadcast both locally and nationally on a Sunday night. Thats why I'm scrambling to get UPN38 working. FOX25 has been acting strange lately. I'm getting at least 45% and sometimes as high as 77% on both 38 and 25 but no signal. Its always searching for signal.

Sounds familiar.

I still have ZERO luck with 38. I have no idea what's wrong. I've rescanned, rebooted, refried.

No 38.

25 has good days, but can go flaky for periods.

Right after I wrote that 38 wasn't working......it started working. Ch25 still is out, however.

Does anyone know what's going on with Fox 25? Hate to admit this but was looking for American Idol the last 2 nights and nothing on Fox in HD. Is there a contact at Fox to ask about this?

Thanks!

Originally posted by Johnnie_Miami
Does anyone know what's going on with Fox 25? Hate to admit this but was looking for American Idol the last 2 nights and nothing on Fox in HD. Is there a contact at Fox to ask about this?

Fox 25 is coming in just fine here in Billerica, MA.

Huh.....very odd. I have been receiving all along with no problem but the last few nights - nothing at all. I hope its worked out before 24 on Monday.

thanks for the status.

Crap, last week they forgot to through the switch till 10 min into American Dreams, tonight NOTHING!!! Totally lame, now Law & Order is on and no HD, 10-1 has it in HD, wish I knew this at 8.

Drag.

Threads merged.

Got alot of good reception last night with my new Hughes Box and Terk Combo. I'm not keeping the Terk as people say the SS is much better, but this is good in the meantime.

Anyways, American Idol, phenomenal, CSI, Alias, ditto. West Wing/NBC... ...junk. First off, the picture was way smaller than the others. I don't mean that it was just turned to 4:3 aspect ratio, I mean the whole picture was smaller. Also, there is this white line across the entire top of my screen (infocus 4805) which only appeared on NBC.

Is this a known issue with NBC? Not sure what the issue is... ...thanks!

Originally posted by Johnnie_Miami
Does anyone know what's going on with Fox 25? Hate to admit this but was looking for American Idol the last 2 nights and nothing on Fox in HD. Is there a contact at Fox to ask about this?

Thanks!

Last week WFXT changed its PSIP info. I lost the picture on my Samsung 360 until I rescanned. Since then it's worked fine. Unfortunately, I missed recording 24 not knowing the receiver wasn't picking up WFXT.

SMK

We did do an encoder change late last week that I posted about. Some set top boxes were affected but not all. A simple rescan should reaquire our signal. If not let me know.

Bill Holbrook
Chief Engineer WFXT

Hi Bill,

I have a Samsung SIRTS160 with a 77% signal but no pict or sound. I've rescanned twice with no luck. Any ideas?

Hey, WHDH-DT! Turn on the HD feed! :)

Regarding WSBK.

I have rescanned, rebooted, done everything except buy the Haystack Observatory (look it up) and point at at their damned tower.

I get 9-1 (Manchester NH) and it's just about 180 from Boston! I get all the PAX stuff and associated subchannels. I get all the WGBX channels. I get little WNDS, a local coming from who knows where with who knows what kind of light bulb they could light. Why, pray tell, can't I get WSBK 38-1? Southern NH is theoretically within the Boston DMA, right?

Sorry, folks, for the vent, but I'm just a bit frustrated.

Is there a chance that my receiver (LG-3410, latest firmware) on which I have a few archived UPN recordings (from 38-1) is retaining some bad PSIP info and creating "an issue?"

HAs 38-1 messed with its PSIP lately?

Whew.....that worked - thanks!


Originally posted by BHolbrook
We did do an encoder change late last week that I posted about. Some set top boxes were affected but not all. A simple rescan should reaquire our signal. If not let me know.

Bill Holbrook
Chief Engineer WFXT

I rescanned like Bill suggested and it worked. FOX25 is working great but of course 38-1 is no longer mapped but thats an ongoing battle that I don't think I'll ever win. Having D* means no Red Sox in High Definition.

Originally posted by murph3699
I rescanned like Bill suggested and it worked. FOX25 is working great but of course 38-1 is no longer mapped but thats an ongoing battle that I don't think I'll ever win. Having D* means no Red Sox in High Definition.

I hear you on the Sox in HD the only negative with D* right now is no NESN HD but I think we will see it someday I know it is on the radar screen but when is the big question?

Originally posted by steverobertson
I hear you on the Sox in HD the only negative with D* right now is no NESN HD but I think we will see it someday I know it is on the radar screen but when is the big question? 38-1 seems to get stronger after dark. I get a serviceable signal after 8PM and that bodes well for seeing the Friday night HD line-up of Sox games (minus 4 SD games).

Originally posted by steverobertson
I hear you on the Sox in HD the only negative with D* right now is no NESN HD but I think we will see it someday I know it is on the radar screen but when is the big question?

Steve,

I'm not sure it's even on the radar screen yet :(

Living in Lowell and haven't had 25-1 all week. Rescans don't help me.
Samsung TS360 reciever.
Last week was O.K.

WSBK-DT comes in pretty strong for me on my D* HR10-250. My worst reception is actually WHDH-DT 7.1 . But I'm only using a Silver Sensor indoors. I might have to spring for a XG91.

Regarding my WSBK-DT troubles...

There was a time when I had very good decent reception for 38. Suddenly, it just went away.

I rescanned and did all the normal troubleshooting on my 3410.

Today, I went topside and took my antenna off the mast to check cables and connections. Everything is fine. The aim is still aligned with my hash marks.

I get excellent signal from the major stations, as well as telemundo, pax, and even a feeble local way off-axis.

25 is borderline but comes in well enough so breakup is just occasional. 38 is gone. 56 is gone.

I have QAM backup for everything EXCEPT 38-1. Thus my intense annoyance at this condition!

did another digital ch. scan and got Fox 25-1 o.k. Still have no program guide for ch.4-1. They blame it on D*
nad D* blames it on Samsung. I have the 360 D* stb. IUs anyone else having this proble?

Did another digital ch. scan and got Fox 25-1 o.k. Still have no program guide for ch.4-1. They blame it on D*
and D* blames it on Samsung. I have the 360 D* stb. IUs anyone else having this problem?

I don't get a program guide for 4-1, either. My tuner is in my Mitsubishi WD52525 television. I'd say it is WBZ's fault.

Originally posted by Shape
I don't get a program guide for 4-1, either. My tuner is in my Mitsubishi WD52525 television. I'd say it is WBZ's fault. Concur. No PSIP from 4-1 on WD62725 or RCADTC-100, even after doing re-scans. I think WBZ is having issues with its PSIP electronics. I am getting PSIP on 38-1.

38-1's signal just stinks. I have aimed and re-aimed the antenna. They just don't have the power of the other channels. I have full power on WBZ, but WSBK is at 60%, if that. What I don't understand is that until 3 weeks ago, WSBK came in great! Then the signal just dropped in strength dramatically.

Aah well, after Enterprise is cancelled, the only thing I would want to watch on 38-1 are the HD IMAX shows that they have on the weekends.

WBZ also shows them late at night, but they screw up the schedule so that they start at like 12:49AM. :rolleyes: Makes it hard to record it.

According to Bob Yankowitz, 38-1 continues to operate at full power, but I agree its signal has not been very consistent the past month or so, as has 7-1 as well. All other Boston digitals come in very strong.

Originally posted by Benji
According to Bob Yankowitz, 38-1 continues to operate at full power, but I agree its signal has not been very consistent the past month or so, as has 7-1 as well. All other Boston digitals come in very strong.
Channel 38-1's power is about 7 dB below channel 4-1's, but we have found that signal quality is a much greater indicator of successful reception than signal strength. In other words, your biggest enemy is multipath. Only those is the farthest reaches with the poorest antenna systems need to worry about signal strength.

We have had no variations of power in the past few weeks (or since we signed-on in 2002, for that matter). Power variations are generally kept within 1-2% at any given time.

So what can be done to fix 38-1 if the problem is truly on my end? I have a channel master 4228 antenna in my attic. I have a winegard amplifier (without which I don't get anything). I am about 31mi from the tower.

Incidentally, antennaweb.org says that I need a larger antenna to receive 38-1 than to receive the other channels, despite being the antennas for the other stations being in the same place. Why would that be?

Plug in my zip code. 01602

Originally posted by Shape
So what can be done to fix 38-1 if the problem is truly on my end? I have a channel master 4228 antenna in my attic. I have a winegard amplifier (without which I don't get anything). I am about 31mi from the tower.

Incidentally, antennaweb.org says that I need a larger antenna to receive 38-1 than to receive the other channels, despite being the antennas for the other stations being in the same place. Why would that be?

Plug in my zip code. 01602
Antennaweb's figures are a little bit off. The mileages they show to the towers from your house are based on their erroneous belief that the WSBK-DT antenna is on the same tower as WSBK-TV's antenna. It is not. WSBK-DT is located on the tower with WBZ-DT, WGBH-DT, WGBX-DT, and WCVB-DT. The extra mile they show may be why they are recommending a bigger antenna for you.

I live in New Bedford, 43.1 air miles from our towers. I have a 4228 antenna on the roof of my single story ranch house. No amplifier. I get (and have always received) all the Boston and Providence stations, even 25 and 56 in their low-power days. The terrain and man-made objects between you and the towers may be causing your problems. I have one other advantage over you - I have access to our spectrum analyzer, which I used to align the antenna on the roof.

As I've said before, we've found that any quality signal above the noise floor can produce a solid signal, while a strong, but multipath-filled signal is no good to anyone. Unfortunately, the only device I know to determine this is a spectrum analyzer. Some of the hipper antenna installers know this and use them for alignment. I'm figuring the odds are pretty good you don't have one of your own, so the next best advice I can offer (which you may not be able to take) is to get the antenna outside. The structure of the house can wreak havoc on the signal.

If only the 4228 wasn't so damn ugly. :) Also, getting it up on my 3 story high roof won't be fun at all. :(

Why was 38-1 coming in fine for a while yet three weeks ago turned to zip?

What could account for people over a wide area suddenly getting a multipath epidemic?

Originally posted by Mike Emery
Why was 38-1 coming in fine for a while yet three weeks ago turned to zip?

What could account for people over a wide area suddenly getting a multipath epidemic? I'm certainly anything but an expert on this subject, but the signal the past couple of days seems to have improved on both 7-1 and 38-1. I believe the problems we have had have something to do with the snow cover possibly reflecting the sun and interfering with the signals, causing multipath. Why it just afffects these 2 stations and not the others, I can't answer. But the snowcover is virtually gone now and the signals are stronger. It's probably a stretch but I can't think of anything else.

I think I figured out a way to help my situation, at least. When I put up my antenna, I thought I would have to aim it out the side of the roof no matter what. But once I got it installed, I found that I had to point it at an angle. But where it is now, it still has to go through the roof.

But I have a window on the north side of the attic. I have found a position for the antenna where I can aim the thing right out the window. :) I'll be moving it tonight. Hopefully that will help.

Originally posted by Benji
I'm certainly anything but an expert on this subject, but the signal the past couple of days seems to have improved on both 7-1 and 38-1. I believe the problems we have had have something to do with the snow cover possibly reflecting the sun and interfering with the signals, causing multipath. Why it just afffects these 2 stations and not the others, I can't answer. But the snowcover is virtually gone now and the signals are stronger. It's probably a stretch but I can't think of anything else.

I rescanned again yesterday and 38-1 did come back. The weird thing about 38-1 not working for me was that it always showed at least 40% signal but no picture. I got it working now but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I am on the Manchester/Hooksett, NH line and have never had any issues w/38.1. However 56.1 has proved to be my headache and 7.1 registers the next lowest signal strength although the picture does lock. I do have an outside antenna and rotor (at least 10 yrs. old w/seperate uhf/vhf) on a 2 story home. In the rain this morning I register a solid 92 on 38.1.

I just checked 38-1 at lunch and I am getting a whopping 25-30 reading everything else in the 90's I think there is something wrong here?

Digital TV - from Narragansett, RI. About a week ago - noted with satisfaction receiving pretty much all the Boston stations (digital) over the air - that am able to access via standard over air broadcasts. Pride goeth before the ..... Promptly lost 56, and 25 - with 38 hanging by a thread. Deleted from Samsung SIR T351 memory channel 25 and then re-scanned and voila 25 was back and watchable. Within a day - gone again and now not rescannable as appears there is no signal. 25.0 with notation on screen - Out of Service. Got me looking with suspicion at my trees and my neighbors trees - but I was doing that before I had reception problems.....
This being my first spring/etc with set top box, how susceptable is the digital signal to line of sight interference (read leaves/branches). Johnny Appleseed I'm not - stop me before I defoliate.

Seriously, is there currently a problem with 25 and 56?
Regards.
Barry

I am currently getting anywhere from 58% to 75% as of 1:55 PM on all Boston digitals---the 58 being 38-1 and 7-1. This is measured on my DTC-100. Translates to slightly higher readings on my DIRECTV Tivo.

7-1 I get up in the 90's 38 is the only problem I am having I just hope it works Sunday night.

Originally posted by steverobertson
7-1 I get up in the 90's 38 is the only problem I am having I just hope it works Sunday night. Steve...you really that anxious to see the Sox open defense of their world championship with Wells having to face RJ?

Originally posted by Benji
Steve...you really that anxious to see the Sox open defense of their world championship with Wells having to face RJ?

Truth be know I am a fair weather BB fan so I am really not all that fired up to be honest with you I look at baseball as the stepping stone to the next football season. Baseball did me in after the last strike and now with all the steroid problems all the records are nothing but a sham now. Having said all that I will watch especially when in HD but I don't build my life around it like I do football

Sounds like you're more just an HDTV fan than baseball fan. That being the case, you can watch HD soccer on HDNet instead of baseball. Probably just as interesting for you.

Originally posted by Benji
Sounds like you're more just an HDTV fan than baseball fan. That being the case, you can watch HD soccer on HDNet instead of baseball. Probably just as interesting for you.

Soccer would be like watching the Hokies play no thanks;)

Hey don't knock the Hokies...it's been a good sports year for me:

Sox-world champs
Pats-world champs
Hokies-ACC football champs

The sad part is it only can go down from here.

The WBZ (4-1) program guide has been missing for weeks.

Analysis of the WBZ transmission indicates that, as far as PSIP goes, they have MGT (Master Guide Table), STT (time), RRT (ratings), and TVCT (Virtual Channel Table) - all using PID 1FFB.

The MGT lists 4 EIT (Event Inforamtion Tables) and 4 ETTs (Extended Text Tables) - where the progarm guide should be. There are no packets with those PIDs in the WBZ transmission.

PIDs listed in the TVCT:
EIT PIDs: 1D00, 1D01, 1D02 1D03 - missing!
ETT PIDs: 1E00, 1E01, 1E02, 1E03 - missing!
Channel-ETT: 1E80 - missing!

STT is a little confused about the start of daylight savings time - it is the first weekend in April, not the second. It seems very few stations get this right!

Perhaps we could send Bill over to reboot their PSIP server?

_Paul

After infinite frustration with my loss of WSBK 38-1, I thought that maybe my receiver was just hosed.

I picked up another 3410 and fired it up Monday morning, did a scan, and PRESTO! had 38-1.

So, I assumed that maybe all those recording I was holding from 38 were messing up things in the older 3410.

Wrong. Rescanned with the older box and PRESTO! there's 38-1.

What the heck was going on with 38??????

So, do I understand it correctly that Sunday nite's Sox/Yanks game is only on ESPN2 in HD and on 38-1 in standard def?

Does anyone know if it will be in HD on 38-1? Its not listed as HD in program listings. Unfortunately, DTV does not have ESPN2HD yet.

The broadcast on ESPN2 will be blacked out in New England. According to information in this thread, the Sunday night game will be in HD on UPN38 in the Boston DMA and HD on NESN for the rest of the NESN local area. It is the one Sunday night game in '05 that ESPN does not have exclusive rights to.

Originally posted by mbtobe
So, do I understand it correctly that Sunday nite's Sox/Yanks game is only on ESPN2 in HD and on 38-1 in standard def?

Does anyone know if it will be in HD on 38-1? Its not listed as HD in program listings. Unfortunately, DTV does not have ESPN2HD yet. According to an insider from Comcast in the Boston-Comcast thread, all but 4 38-1 Sox games will be in HD this season beginning with Sunday night's Yankee game. So the answer is yes.

Originally posted by Benji
According to an insider from Comcast in the Boston-Comcast thread, all but 4 38-1 Sox games will be in HD this season beginning with Sunday night's Yankee game. So the answer is yes.

I hope he is right. The broadcast is not listed as being in HDTV in any of the online guides I have seen.

Originally posted by mbtobe
I hope he is right. The broadcast is not listed as being in HDTV in any of the online guides I have seen.

Robert Yankowitz said in this thread on March 21st that the April 3rd game WILL be in HD on 38-1.

Now if we could just get past the multipath problems with 38-1 we'll be all set.

Originally posted by Benji
Now if we could just get past the multipath problems with 38-1 we'll be all set.

Agreed I may have to pull out my silver sensor on Sunday and try that no wonder my friends stick with Comcrap

Originally posted by steverobertson
Agreed I may have to pull out my silver sensor on Sunday and try that no wonder my friends stick with Comcrap Steve...It might be time for you to bite the bullett and become a "Comcrapper".

Originally posted by Benji
Steve...It might be time for you to bite the bullett and become a "Comcrapper".

It will never happen as long as D* has the ST and Comcrap keeps putting out a horrible sd signal

Originally posted by steverobertson
It will never happen as long as D* has the ST and Comcrap keeps putting out a horrible sd signal Check out the Boston-Comcast thread. Looks like they're going all-digital very soon. And they've added WLVI-DT and will have WSBK-DT in time for Sunday night's game.

Originally posted by Benji
Check out the Boston-Comcast thread. Looks like they're going all-digital very soon. And they've added WLVI-DT and will have WSBK-DT in time for Sunday night's game.

Interesting only problem that I have seen is their digital stations are so compressed that it makes for a horrible viewing experience at least in my area

Steve, when I had Comcast the digital stations looked at least as good as DIRECTV. I agree the analog channels were pathetic. When I move in a few months I'm seriously thinking going back to Comcast.

Originally posted by bcushman
Robert Yankowitz said in this thread on March 21st that the April 3rd game WILL be in HD on 38-1.
And I'll say it again!

Originally posted by RYankowitz
And I'll say it again! Bob..that's being redundant!

I live in Gloucester, and the AntennaWeb.org site says I need a blue/violet antenna.

The DirecTV guy who was just here said that the only antenna he has seen that works in Gloucester is the Terk TV36 and TV38.

The TV36 is huge, and the TV38 is HUGE. Is anybody else a similar distance away (~35 miles), and using this antenna? Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

Anyone watching Chronicle "HD 101" on channel5 they are doing the show in HD:)

Originally posted by steverobertson
It will never happen as long as D* has the ST and Comcrap keeps putting out a horrible sd signal

you could always get just the basic (and an HD box if you do not have a QAM tuner) Come to think of it invest $6 extra dollars and get inhd1 and 2 including the NESN HD games as well.

Originally posted by InterMurph
I live in Gloucester, and the AntennaWeb.org site says I need a blue/violet antenna.

The DirecTV guy who was just here said that the only antenna he has seen that works in Gloucester is the Terk TV36 and TV38.

The TV36 is huge, and the TV38 is HUGE. Is anybody else a similar distance away (~35 miles), and using this antenna? Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

I'm in Marblehead and have a roof mounted Channel Master antenna with no rotor or amplifier/attenuator, and I get the digital versions of 2, 4, 5, 7, 25, 38, 44, 56, 68. Based on what others say, I'd never get a Terk antenna.

The audio problem on 4.1 is gone, I did a rescan on my Samsung 360 using the correct zip code and was able to receive audio along with the program guide. I can"t speak for other STB's that had the problem, but somebody, either D* or WBZ id something to correct it. Any comments, Robert Y.

herb s.
thx for the heds up on 4-1. had the same problem. been watching a couple times a week for the audio return. talked to j.f.barry there a couple months ago and of course he blamed it on D*. we'll see how hong it stays fixed.
rhunt
lowell.ma

Yep, the TS160 is also fixed with directv now, thanks for the heads up!

Lo and behold, as certain as death and taxes:

Friday night rolls around. It's time to record Enterprise on the good ol' 3410. Finally got the signal back after a rescan. Maybe I was just lucky.

38-1 shows NO SIGNAL. Again.

Unbelievable.

For the record, I'm in Nashua (part of the Boston DMA, right?) with a Wineguard 9095 (I think; it's the 16 db gain model) with a 7775 preamp, all mast-mounted and carefully aimed.

I found something interesting.

I mentioned that I'm using a 3410. Last night, it was flashing "no signal" on the unit and displaying the black screen / no signal message for 38 so I just aborted the recording.

When I took a look at the partial recording this morning for giggles and to remind me how much I hate seeing "no signal" :-) I actually got some playback. There were periods of heavy pixelization, but I actually had some picture.

Odd... very odd. Viewing live, there was nothing, playback had something.

Hopefully, whatever problems we have with 38 can be resolved before the final new episodes air. Sure would suck to miss out.

Originally posted by RScogland
I'm in Marblehead and have a roof mounted Channel Master antenna with no rotor or amplifier/attenuator, and I get the digital versions of 2, 4, 5, 7, 25, 38, 44, 56, 68. Based on what others say, I'd never get a Terk antenna.

I live at 36 miles in Rochdale, MA and I'd recommend the www.antennasdirect.com DB4 29x16 on a jpole or a CM4228 40X40. Both antennas have very good gain, and are UHF only, which is all you will need to pick up all of the Boston locals. At that distance, you may also want to go with a pre-amp set-up. Once you find your hot spot you should be in business. Good Luck!!

Blackngold...I recently went by your place on the way to my moms in Charlton. Nice setup, lucky you were able to mount it right out your window. I am sure the very short cable distance helped with the signals.

Placonto

38-1... on with the Sox game in HD from NY. Yeah!!!! Nice job so far. I'm so happy I get to watch some sox in HD with the local broadcasters as I have DirecTV, so no NESN-HD for me. Sound is a little funky though. Seems to change a lot depending on the camera. Anyway, minor quibble. I'm just happy to have it in HD.

-Steve

PQ was excellent. Unfortunately the sound was a problem early-on and the result of (Wells v. Johnson) all too predictable. Oh well...161 more games. Just wish more of them were available in HD for the DIRECTV folks.

Originally posted by Benji
Just wish more of them were available in HD for the DIRECTV folks.

I agree, but some is better than none. Thanks WSBK

The audio problems were quite annoying, although they seemed to work it out after awhile. When they went to the center field camera you could hear sound out of the left & right speakers. Whenever they cut to a different camera, it was center channel only. Very strange.

Having said that, the PQ was outstanding IMO (via Adelphia). Thanks UPN38!

Originally posted by perrycom
The audio problems were quite annoying, although they seemed to work it out after awhile. When they went to the center field camera you could hear sound out of the left & right speakers. Whenever they cut to a different camera, it was center channel only. Very strange.

Having said that, the PQ was outstanding IMO (via Adelphia). Thanks UPN38!
I'm told (third-hand, so this is an unofficial report) the problem was caused by the camera-position microphones, which fooled the viewer's surround-sound decoder into producing erroneous results. (There was no surround-sound encoding, just regular stereo.)

Originally posted by herb s.
The audio problem on 4.1 is gone, I did a rescan on my Samsung 360 using the correct zip code and was able to receive audio along with the program guide. I can"t speak for other STB's that had the problem, but somebody, either D* or WBZ id something to correct it. Any comments, Robert Y.
We haven't done anything, nor could we, since it was a Samsung/DirectTV problem. Samsung had promised it was working with DirectTV to fix the problem, and maybe they have. The Samsung website still shows the "remove the zip codes" advice, and hasn't been updated to show that the fix was done.

I'll soon be moving to Natick,MA...about 10 miles west of the towers in
Needham.I now live about 30 miles from the nearest HD towers and get
surprisingly good OTA reception with my Radio Shack 15-1880 indoor
antenna.My upcoming problem will be that the Needham towers will
be to my east and the only window I have is south facing.Anybody have
a guess as to what,if anything,I'll receive OTA in Natick? Thanks!

Threads merged.

Originally posted by perrycom
The audio problems were quite annoying, although they seemed to work it out after awhile. When they went to the center field camera you could hear sound out of the left & right speakers. Whenever they cut to a different camera, it was center channel only. Very strange.

Having said that, the PQ was outstanding IMO (via Adelphia). Thanks UPN38!


the sound problems were due to the virtual billboards that were electronically inserted behind the batter in the shot from center field. The ads are inserted by a truck completely separate from the main production truck. Since it takes a split second to render the billboard into the shot -- that camera angle is actually delayed slightly (did you notice a slight time shift during some camera cuts??) and the audio must be delayed slightly as well. Both the video and audio delays are handled by the second truck and then fed to the main production truck. The billboard truck was having some trouble early in the game.

Now that the Red Socks games will be pre-empting Enterprise on Friday evenings, could we *please* have the Enterprise repeats on Saturday in HD? (Six new shows are scheduled to air starting 4/15, including the series finale.)

Originally posted by pdicamillo
Now that the Red Socks games will be pre-empting Enterprise on Friday evenings, could we *please* have the Enterprise repeats on Saturday in HD? (Six new shows are scheduled to air starting 4/15, including the series finale.)

Awww crap! :rolleyes: Think anyone will listen? Who can we email about this?

Originally posted by pdicamillo
Now that the Red Socks games will be pre-empting Enterprise on Friday evenings, could we *please* have the Enterprise repeats on Saturday in HD? (Six new shows are scheduled to air starting 4/15, including the series finale.)

Absolutely DITTO on that.

Good grief...

I already sent in a comment using this web form. I hate web forms for this sort of thing, though. Who has a real email address we can use?

Anyway, start lobbing your complaint here:
http://upn38.com/feedback/

I sent it to both the suggestions address and the technical address.

Originally posted by etcarey
the sound problems were due to the virtual billboards that were electronically inserted behind the batter in the shot from center field. The ads are inserted by a truck completely separate from the main production truck. Since it takes a split second to render the billboard into the shot -- that camera angle is actually delayed slightly (did you notice a slight time shift during some camera cuts??) and the audio must be delayed slightly as well. Both the video and audio delays are handled by the second truck and then fed to the main production truck. The billboard truck was having some trouble early in the game. That would also explain why Jordan's Furniture and Friendly's were advertising in the Bronx, N.Y.

I live in Gloucester. I have been waiting since 1:30 for my HDTV antenna installer's third trip, and it looks like he's going to stiff me.

Can anybody recommend a good HDTV antenna installer on the North Shore?

Thanks.

Originally posted by InterMurph
I live in Gloucester. I have been waiting since 1:30 for my HDTV antenna installer's third trip, and it looks like he's going to stiff me.

Can anybody recommend a good HDTV antenna installer on the North Shore?

Thanks.

I can recommend "New England Antenna Service". They did quality work at my place. They were dependable.

http://www.newenglandantenna.com

buz

Thanks, buz. I called the Tweeter in Danvers, and they referred me to "The Antenna Guy" in Beverly. He came and set me up today.

I asked him why "The Antenna Guy" didn't show up in my Yellow Pages searches, and he said they're tyring to get out of the antenna business.

I had bought a Terk TV38 monster antenna. The guy looked at my tall house on a hill, and said that he had a much smaller Winegard that would work. he put that up, and I'm getting a great signal on all the Boston locals.

Now I can watch the Masters in HD!

Originally posted by Shape
I already sent in a comment using this web form. I hate web forms for this sort of thing, though. Who has a real email address we can use?

Anyway, start lobbing your complaint here:
http://upn38.com/feedback/

I sent it to both the suggestions address and the technical address.

I got no reply on this. I'm going to try again.

Damnit, I'm not going to miss the last episodes (in HD) of one of the best Star Trek shows to come around in years. :(

Has anyone else gotten a reply from WSBK about airing Enterprise on Saturdays in HD instead of SD, like they are now? The Red Sox games are pre-empting the friday night airings!

Phone numbers for WSBK Boston:

617-783-3838

617-787-7000

Originally posted by Mike Emery
Phone numbers:

617-783-3838

617-787-7000

Do these numbers have any names or stations associated with them or should we call them for a good time? :D

I recorded Enterprise on Saturday. I just watched a few minutes but it looked like HD to me.

-- Rich

Someone told me that the 8:00PM showing of Enterprise on Saturday night was in HD, but the 10:00PM showing was not (I recorded the 10:00 one on my HTPC).

Looks like I lucked out :)

Originally posted by gsr
Do these numbers have any names or stations associated with them or should we call them for a good time? :D

Uh... Yes? ;-)


I edited my post for clarity... they're the numbers to WSBK 38/Boston.

got this from upn 38 after I requested program schedule for Enterprise in HD.

When there is Friday night baseball, the pre-empted Enterprise episode can be seen on Saturday night at 8:00pm, in HD. The two hour finale will be on Friday May 13th at 8:00pm, in HD.

I got a similar response from WSBK/38 that the 8pm/Saturday show is in HD.

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

I have a Samsung SIRTS-160 STB and since the encoder change on 3/24 have not been able to receive 25-1. I have unplugged, rescanned etc to no avail. All other channels working fine. Prior to 3/24 all was well.

Does anyone else share this problem or is my box possibly gone bad?

Ursa, try a rescan with the zip code set to 00000 in the setup menu. If it works you will lose the guide data for your digital channels. A similar problem happened to 4.1 with the Samsung 360, although it only affected the audio. Good luck

Hmmm, O.K. Tried the rescan with 00000 zip code. Tried it 3 times. The first time it quit 1/3 of the way thru. 2nd time went to about 3/4 and the 3rd time went all the way thru but I still have guide data and no 25-1. I have successfully rescanned in the past to get audio for 4-1 but this one has me baffled. I also pulled the plug and powered up but no go. Any other ideas?...I'm wondering if the box is bad as I cannot rescan with 00000 Zip code anymore.

Originally posted by Mike Emery
Absolutely DITTO on that.

Good grief...
The 8pm screening IS HD!

The 10pm screening is not.

Rescanned for a 4th time and I now get 25-1.

All is well...

Originally posted by ursa99
Rescanned for a 4th time and I now get 25-1.

All is well...

Did you use your real zip code or 00000?

I used my real zip code. I get all program guide data.

I can rescan in a couple of ways. If I enter a new zip code the box automatically starts a rescan. That didn't work. I also have an option to 'rescan' which did the trick. Why one worked and the other didn't is a mystery...but I now have all my HD OTA channels back.

Can someone please knock the WFXT (Boston FOX affiliate) engineers up side the head? This is the second week in a row their programming was missing the PSIP information required for my PVR. Last Monday I missed 24; last night, I only caught the latter half of Malcom in the Middle once I realized I needed to record the low-def version due to this problem.

yeah, squarooticus - i'm noticing wfxt gyrating their psip data, causing my tv to see their channel # flipflop between 25.1 and 31.1 every other day or so. this also exposes an apparent software bugfeature in my sony 34xbr2 tv - every time a station changes channel #s like that, the TV unlearns all the "SKIP" channels, so i have to go through and reprogram all the shopping and spanish channels to 'skip' again. most annoying. my tv is out of warranty but maybe sony would send me a memory stick with new software that wouldn't have this bug/feature.

Greetings - first time here.

I was wondering if anyone else had this problem. I have a small Terk antenna for my ota locals. I can pick up CBS, NBC, and ABC with excellent quality, but I cannot get FOX at all (or UPN for that matter, but a lesser issue). I was under the assumption they were all on the same tower cluster. Is this not correct? Or does FOX not pump out enough power? Something else? I'm in the Gardner area, so about 40 miles from the tower.

Many thanks,
Kevin

Originally posted by kevind2112
Greetings - first time here.

I was wondering if anyone else had this problem. I have a small Terk antenna for my ota locals. I can pick up CBS, NBC, and ABC with excellent quality, but I cannot get FOX at all (or UPN for that matter, but a lesser issue). I was under the assumption they were all on the same tower cluster. Is this not correct? Or does FOX not pump out enough power? Something else? I'm in the Gardner area, so about 40 miles from the tower.

Many thanks,
Kevin Terk antennas are the worst antennas in creation. If indoors, get a Radio Shack amplified VHF-UHF antenna. 40 miles may be tough for any indoor antenna. UPN and FOX do have weaker signals than ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS. Also WB's signal is somewhat weaker.

I've lost WHDH here in Raynham. Dissappeared a couple of days ago. Anybody else having trouble? The odd thing is, they just cut down some trees accross the street that are in the direction of the tower.

Originally posted by bfriend
I've lost WHDH here in Raynham. Dissappeared a couple of days ago. Anybody else having trouble? The odd thing is, they just cut down some trees accross the street that are in the direction of the tower. I've had many problems with WHDH the past few months but currently am getting a reasonably strong signal. WHDH and WSBK are my 2 problem signals. All the other Boston digitals come in generally problem-free.

kevind2112 & bfriend, out of the big 3 commercial boston stations,
whdh is the toughest for my atsc tuners to receive here in southern NH.
i understand the whdh xmitter is about 50 feet lower on the tower than the other 2, and that it is a shared transmitter with wsbk-dt. and indeed when i have trouble with whdh-dt, i also have trouble receiving wsbk-dt.

wfxt is the toughest of all. i understand
wfxt is broadcasting less than 1/10 the power of each of the big three.
that doesn't translate to 1/10 the signal propagation/distance however...

Originally posted by tveli
kevind2112 & bfriend, out of the big 3 commercial boston stations,
whdh is the toughest for my atsc tuners to receive here in southern NH.
i understand the whdh xmitter is about 50 feet lower on the tower than the other 2, and that it is a shared transmitter with wsbk-dt. and indeed when i have trouble with whdh-dt, i also have trouble receiving wsbk-dt.

wfxt is the toughest of all. i understand
wfxt is broadcasting less than 1/10 the power of each of the big three.
that doesn't translate to 1/10 the signal propagation/distance however...
WHDH's analog and digital antennas are on their own tower, not sharing space with any other station.

thanks for the corrections, Robert. :) is the WHDH-DT xmitter is at a slightly lower height than those for WBZ-DT & WCVB-DT or am i off base with that idea as well? at one point i thought i had read some small factoid which accounted for my tuners' difficulty in grabbing WHDH-DT signal when weather conditions are nonoptimal. perhaps it is just a matter of antenna angle - although from my distance i would have expected the optimal angle to be the same for all the Needham DTV xmitters. well, anyway, cheers to you sir - and thanks for all the atsc-fish!

Originally posted by tveli
thanks for the corrections, Robert. :) is the WHDH-DT xmitter is at a slightly lower height than those for WBZ-DT & WCVB-DT or am i off base with that idea as well? at one point i thought i had read some small factoid which accounted for my tuners' difficulty in grabbing WHDH-DT signal when weather conditions are nonoptimal. perhaps it is just a matter of antenna angle - although from my distance i would have expected the optimal angle to be the same for all the Needham DTV xmitters. well, anyway, cheers to you sir - and thanks for all the atsc-fish!
I don't have WHDH's figures right at hand, but the difference in elevation is not significant.

There are somewhere between 50 and 5,000 reasons why you can have problems picking up an HD signal, but once you are more than a mile or so away from the tower, a 50 foot difference in elevation isn't one of them.

I managed to get slightly better reception with my antenna by moving it up the mast by a foot or so and angling it so it is pointing up slightly. I have a feeling that these changes had more to do with local obstructions like my roof (in the attic) than the elevation of the towers, though.

I'm actually using a $30 crappy Terk antenna sitting next to my TV in front of a wall, and I can get WHDH-DT at about 75%. I can get CBS and ABC at about the same rate. I figured WFXT was operating at lower power, but I can't even get 10% from them.

Oh well. I applied for waivers for all of them. I understand that WFXT is O&O, so maybe I have a shot at that one anyway, which is the only one I really need.

Thanks everyone.
Kevin

Bob Yankowitz...question on UPN38 Friday night Sox baseball. Is there a blackout rule in effect on cable systems outside the Boston DMA?

Different subject...look like WHDH has its PSIP working again. Now all Boston stations showing PSIP.

Originally posted by Benji
Bob Yankowitz...question on UPN38 Friday night Sox baseball. Is there a blackout rule in effect on cable systems outside the Boston DMA?
I don't know the answer offhand. I'll get back to you with it early next week.

did any of you catch the beginning of the OTA HD 38.1 broadcast of the sox defeat friday night? the announcers & cameramen clearly didn't know that the HD video & audio was on the air. (analog 38 was running commercials.) they zoomed in on a pierced-faces/lips/etc couple for a few minutes and were commenting on their piercings... "it looks like it hurts". then lots of silence and throat-clearing as they got ready for the official start of the broadcast.

Originally posted by tveli
did any of you catch the beginning of the OTA HD 38.1 broadcast of the sox defeat friday night? the announcers & cameramen clearly didn't know that the HD video & audio was on the air. (analog 38 was running commercials.) they zoomed in on a pierced-faces/lips/etc couple for a few minutes and were commenting on their piercings... "it looks like it hurts". then lots of silence and throat-clearing as they got ready for the official start of the broadcast.

LOL. I was talking to my son on the phone when we both noticed the same thing. I thought it was fortunate that Remy and Orsillo showed great restraint in their comments, particularly since they obviously didn't know they were on live. I was waiting for the couple to get tangled up in their earrings though :o

WBZ is showing a IMAX HD show (Adventures in Wild California) . Is this local or national thing? Also it wasn't listed as HD in TitanTV so I thought I was watching INHD.

WSBK shows HD to the Max, too, during the day on weekends.

Unfortunately, you can never count on WBZ's schedule that late at night. HD to the Max ends up showing at like 12:47 AM some nights.

WBZ shows it with 5.1 DD, though. WSBK only shows it in stereo. :(

Still new here...got some questions

Is it better if the antenna is aimed at a certain direction, and does the distance from the antenna to the hdtv tuner matter?

Im currently using a winegard (sp?) with an rca receiver.

I live about 30 miles from Boston so i dont know if i should be getting any channels.

Yes, direction matters a LOT! In fact, I have found that angling the antenna up and down matters, too. So, suddenly you have a whole lot of positions you can aim the antenna in. :rolleyes:

Thanks..any pointers on how i should aim the thing?

Go to antennaweb.org and put at least your zip code in. That will give you a general compass direction to aim it, and you can probably dial it in with your tuner's signal strength display from there.

I'm about 22 miles from the main towers, and I get all of the channels. Josh gets most everything pretty clearly, and he's is in Worcester, so that's about the same distance you are from the stations.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot!

Just an update on my waiver requests. Again, I live in the Gardner area. This has been my response within one week of applying:

ABC - Denied
CBS - Denied
NBC - Accepted
FOX - No reply yet

I'm really hoping Fox will accept me. That's the only station I can't get via my OTA antenna.

I'll keep you informed.
Kevin

Originally posted by Benji
Bob Yankowitz...question on UPN38 Friday night Sox baseball. Is there a blackout rule in effect on cable systems outside the Boston DMA?
Here's the answer I received from those who know:

Outside of the Boston DMA, you must catch the game on NESN (per the NESN contract).

Originally posted by RYankowitz
Here's the answer I received from those who know:

Outside of the Boston DMA, you must catch the game on NESN (per the NESN contract). Bob...thanks for the response. I've been trying to explain that to the posters at the Boston-Comcast thread. The Bristol County posters claim they receive the Friday night Sox games from both NESN and WSBK-analog thru Comcast. They are trying to get Comcast to carry WSBK-DT in Bristol County so they can get the Sox HD games Fridays. I've been telling them even if they got WSBK-DT, the game would be blacked out. Some choose not to believe that.

Getting on to another subject,I have decided to post my comments on using an ATSC HD box on my apartment building's house antenna.

Ch 2, 0,1,2 (HD)

Ch 4, 0,1 (HD)

Ch 5 0,1 (HD),2

Ch 7 0,1 (HD)

Ch 9 0,1 (HD)

Ch 11,0 only (I know ch 11 has an HD signal at night and during the day they have multiple channels= here we only get the analog 11 OTOH they may not map to ch 11)

Ch 13,0 (house camera on front door)

Ch 25,0,1(HD)

Ch 27,0

Ch 38 0,1 (HD)

Ch 44 0,1,2,3,4

Ch 50 0 only (it looks crappy as I believe the house antenna isn't set to tune this channel in - I know WNDS-DT is on the air (if in 4:3 480i) )

Ch 56 0,1 (HD)

Ch 60 0

Ch 62 0

Ch 66 0,1 (0 looked like crap 1 the 4:3 480i singnal is good)

Ch 68 0,1,2,3,4
The antenna is on the roof and I believe we are in the tallest building in the city.

I do get Comcast and they have my HDs of 2,4,5,7,25,38,and 56.

Hello,
Is anyone having trouble tuning WCVB 5? I am in Boston and have never had any trouble. I haven't used my OTA tuner for awhile though... Currently I get a "lock" on the channel and it displays "Digital Sound" but there is no picture for either 5-1 or 5-2. The other stations come in fine. Thoughts?

Jakes,

Getting it fine here. Have you tried 'rescanning' the station again?

Originally posted by Jakes
Hello,
Is anyone having trouble tuning WCVB 5? I am in Boston and have never had any trouble. I haven't used my OTA tuner for awhile though... Currently I get a "lock" on the channel and it displays "Digital Sound" but there is no picture for either 5-1 or 5-2. The other stations come in fine. Thoughts? Haven't had this problem for a while but sometimes just punching in the physical channel "20-1" will bring it back. If not, go the re-scanning route.

Thanks, I will try that tonight.

Originally posted by hadley
Still new here...got some questions

Is it better if the antenna is aimed at a certain direction, and does the distance from the antenna to the hdtv tuner matter?

Im currently using a winegard (sp?) with an rca receiver.

I live about 30 miles from Boston so i dont know if i should be getting any channels.

Hope things are going ok Hadley. As nichols posted, antennaweb has all the info you need.

In in N.Central MA about 32 mi from the Boston towers. I'm pulling in everything with a Zenith Silver Sensor. Aimed about 136 degrees. Every major channel is excellent with the exception of some minor pixelation occasionally with WHDH-DT 7-1 NBC. It only lasts for a few seconds so it is something I can live with. I get slight recognition of signals from NH and RI but really do not need anything from there.

Listen to Shape regarding direction and placement. I actually lowered the height of my antenna in the room and the signals got stronger. Surprising. My tuner is a DirecTV HR10-250.

I get a decent enough signal right now so I'm holding off deciding on an outdoor installation. Since I just started watching HD with the Zenith SS in Feb, I want to get a years worth of data on reception. If I need to go outside I'll more than likely put up an antennadirect XG91.

Here is my antenna saga. I finally put my antenna (CM4228) outside last week on the side of my house. There is a tree in the way, but it was the only place I could put the antenna on the house. As a test before I put the antenna on the house, I put the antenna on the ground aimed in the general direction of the towers. I went inside and saw nearly perfect reception. GREAT! The antenna was leaning a little.

It must be better with some elevation, right? So I put it up on the side of the house. HORRIBLE reception! Worse than when it was in the attic! So I cut some tree limbs down. It needed it anyway. :) Reception got better, but I couldn't get all the stations in at once. The antenna was perfectly vertical.

So I said screw it and put it back up the the attic. I have an HDTV Wonder in my PC, and I have VNC installed on the PC. So I used my laptop in the attic to watch the strength bars on my home theater PC remotely through VNC. Perfect! :) I spent 45 minutes up there aiming the thing. I finally found a position where every signal is green. I had to aim the antenna up at an angle slightly to get the best reception. Honestly, I just have the antenna mast jammed between the roof and the floor of the attic at an angle. How cheezy is that?

I thought for sure that putting the antenna outside would "just work." But it didn't. Very frustrating. If I had a taller ladder, and I had more guts, I would put it up on the roof of the 2nd floor of the house. But I don't. So in the attic it stays. It looks better there, too. ;) CM4228s are ugly suckers.

I had not watched any of the Friday night Sox games on UPN yet this year, and imagine my (pleasant) surprise when I turned on tonight's game to see that it's in HD!

It looks great with only one apparent problem. Has anyone else noticed the herring bone interference from the camera located to the first base side of home plate?

SMK

Originally posted by georgemoe
Hope things are going ok Hadley. As nichols posted, antennaweb has all the info you need.

In in N.Central MA about 32 mi from the Boston towers. I'm pulling in everything with a Zenith Silver Sensor. Aimed about 136 degrees. Every major channel is excellent with the exception of some minor pixelation occasionally with WHDH-DT 7-1 NBC. It only lasts for a few seconds so it is something I can live with. I get slight recognition of signals from NH and RI but really do not need anything from there.

Listen to Shape regarding direction and placement. I actually lowered the height of my antenna in the room and the signals got stronger. Surprising. My tuner is a DirecTV HR10-250.

I get a decent enough signal right now so I'm holding off deciding on an outdoor installation. Since I just started watching HD with the Zenith SS in Feb, I want to get a years worth of data on reception. If I need to go outside I'll more than likely put up an antennadirect XG91.

I live in Nashua & have the xg91, & highly reccomend it. I previously had 1 of the smaller yagis but signal strength was poor with fox 25 & upn 38. So before the superbowl I replaced it with the xg91 & now have strong signals with all Boston stations. The installation is rooftop mount with some obstruction with trees & using the samsung sirt 165 receiver. Also recording with the JVC 30k. My HD screen is an 82" front projector using the epson s1.

Originally posted by RoyGBiv
I had not watched any of the Friday night Sox games on UPN yet this year, and imagine my (pleasant) surprise when I turned on tonight's game to see that it's in HD!

It looks great with only one apparent problem. Has anyone else noticed the herring bone interference from the camera located to the first base side of home plate?

SMK

Yes, I noticed the same thing, but other than that, excellent PQ - it is a real treat for me to see those UPN games in HD since it will be some time before DirecTV starts carrying NESN in HD

Originally posted by Benji
Haven't had this problem for a while but sometimes just punching in the physical channel "20-1" will bring it back. If not, go the re-scanning route.

I keep scanning and scanning and can never pick up the station. I tried adding it in manually, but no success.

Anyone have an explanation on why I heve trouble at times receiving 38-1, while I can recieve the other Boston HDTV broadcasts without a problem. I have no trouble receiving 25-1 which should be the most difficult of the Boston digitals to receive. I am using a CM 4221 together with a CM 7775 preamp.

Herb, I have the same problem. 38-1 is really intermittent.

38-1 comes in about half the time for me. It seems to never come in during the Sox games.

Originally posted by Shape
Here is my antenna saga. I finally put my antenna (CM4228) outside last week on the side of my house. There is a tree in the way, but it was the only place I could put the antenna on the house. As a test before I put the antenna on the house, I put the antenna on the ground aimed in the general direction of the towers. I went inside and saw nearly perfect reception. GREAT! The antenna was leaning a little.

It must be better with some elevation, right? So I put it up on the side of the house. HORRIBLE reception! Worse than when it was in the attic! So I cut some tree limbs down. It needed it anyway. :) Reception got better, but I couldn't get all the stations in at once. The antenna was perfectly vertical.

So I said screw it and put it back up the the attic. I have an HDTV Wonder in my PC, and I have VNC installed on the PC. So I used my laptop in the attic to watch the strength bars on my home theater PC remotely through VNC. Perfect! :) I spent 45 minutes up there aiming the thing. I finally found a position where every signal is green. I had to aim the antenna up at an angle slightly to get the best reception. Honestly, I just have the antenna mast jammed between the roof and the floor of the attic at an angle. How cheezy is that?

I thought for sure that putting the antenna outside would "just work." But it didn't. Very frustrating. If I had a taller ladder, and I had more guts, I would put it up on the roof of the 2nd floor of the house. But I don't. So in the attic it stays. It looks better there, too. ;) CM4228s are ugly suckers.

Ok...I live in Worcester also, on the Holden line, at the botton of the Ararat St hill.....I have a CM4228. I used to have this antenna mounted in the rafters in my garage, but have since added a family room over the garage so the ant. lost its home. My wife was 100% against mounting this baby outside the house, so I said...hell I will put it in the attic....let's see what happens....

Well I have a 42inch Panny with the QAM tuner and my channel scans are as follows:

CBS - 78%
ABC - 78%
NBC - 70%
FOX - 48%
WSBK - 64%

I currently have the tuner aimed to 106deg....as per the Antenna Web site....I noticed you are others are at 137def.....and are getting stronger signals...what is your Ant. aimed at?

Originally posted by Shape
Here is my antenna saga. I finally put my antenna (CM4228) outside last week on the side of my house. There is a tree in the way, but it was the only place I could put the antenna on the house. As a test before I put the antenna on the house, I put the antenna on the ground aimed in the general direction of the towers. I went inside and saw nearly perfect reception. GREAT! The antenna was leaning a little.

It must be better with some elevation, right? So I put it up on the side of the house. HORRIBLE reception! Worse than when it was in the attic! So I cut some tree limbs down. It needed it anyway. :) Reception got better, but I couldn't get all the stations in at once. The antenna was perfectly vertical.

So I said screw it and put it back up the the attic. I have an HDTV Wonder in my PC, and I have VNC installed on the PC. So I used my laptop in the attic to watch the strength bars on my home theater PC remotely through VNC. Perfect! :) I spent 45 minutes up there aiming the thing. I finally found a position where every signal is green. I had to aim the antenna up at an angle slightly to get the best reception. Honestly, I just have the antenna mast jammed between the roof and the floor of the attic at an angle. How cheezy is that?

I thought for sure that putting the antenna outside would "just work." But it didn't. Very frustrating. If I had a taller ladder, and I had more guts, I would put it up on the roof of the 2nd floor of the house. But I don't. So in the attic it stays. It looks better there, too. ;) CM4228s are ugly suckers.

Ok...I live in Worcester also, on the Holden line, at the botton of the Ararat St hill.....I have a CM4228. I used to have this antenna mounted in the rafters in my garage, but have since added a family room over the garage so the ant. lost its home. My wife was 100% against mounting this baby outside the house, so I said...hell I will put it in the attic....let's see what happens....

Well I have a 42inch Panny with the QAM tuner and my channel scans are as follows:

CBS - 78%
ABC - 78%
NBC - 70%
FOX - 48%
WSBK - 64%

I currently have the ANTaimed to 106deg....as per the Antenna Web site....I noticed you are others are at 137def.....and are getting stronger signals...what is your Ant. aimed at?

To be honest, I don't know what direction I have my antenna aimed in. I just turned it til everything came in ok. Having the remote signal strength meters was a life saver. For a while, I had my wife in the living room with an intercom phone reading off what the meters in media center said. Then I realized I could use VNC and my laptop to see the Windows XP Media Center digital signal strength meters in the attic, and the aiming went much better.

Try aiming the antenna up slightly. In other words, not perfectly vertical. I found that helped with reception a ton.

Originally posted by Shape
To be honest, I don't know what direction I have my antenna aimed in. I just turned it til everything came in ok. Having the remote signal strength meters was a life saver. For a while, I had my wife in the living room with an intercom phone reading off what the meters in media center said. Then I realized I could use VNC and my laptop to see the Windows XP Media Center digital signal strength meters in the attic, and the aiming went much better.

Try aiming the antenna up slightly. In other words, not perfectly vertical. I found that helped with reception a ton.

Thanks, I will give it a shot tonight....I will use the ole wife and cell phone setup.....

CHris

WSBK-DT 38-1

Sox vs. Braves - Friday 5/20

I thought tonights game being broadcast would be HD. It wasn't listed as such in the guide and decided to delete it a short while ago.

The beginning of the broadcast was actually in HD! Wow. Then 1 minute later back to SD. :mad:

I just moved to a rental townhouse in Brookline, and according to antennaweb, am only ~6 miles from all the HDTV stations. But there's a large building across the street that appears to be blocking the path.

I tried "silver sensor", and when I originally scanned for channels, could only pick up a NH PBS station! And when I checked the signal for the Boston stations, the best I could get was 48% (and no picture), no matter where I went in my house (incl the attic) or within a 100 ft down the street...

I'm hoping to have a Dish Network dish installed in a few days, and am now hoping I could get the guy to install an OTA antenna as well.

Antennaweb suggests a "red" (medium directional?) antenna. What antenna should I get, or what else should I try? Anyone have any experience with Dish Network installers in the area?

Thanks much for any advice or help,
Dave.

I had a strange experience with reception last night: (June 2nd, 10:30pm to 12:00am)

I just got a "MyHD MDP-130" for my PC and was playing around with it. I wanted to see if I could get any Boston stations by only using a "bow-tie" kludge-fit to the antenna-in. I tried for WSBK digital on ch-39 and got nothing, so I tried ch-38 analog to see if I could see even a weak picture. (I'm located 40 miles south in Swansea, MA - between Providence, RI and Fall River)

At first the screen came up all static, so after a few seconds, the MyHD tried for digital. Well, all-of-a-sudden the screen read digital reception, 40% strength!

Sub-channel 1 was UPN 9 and subchannel 2 was "Fox - 5" in 480i. Come to find out
I was receiving WWOR-DT broadcasting on ch-38 from Secaucus, NJ!!!!!!! Never in my life have I EVER received a NY channel on UHF, let alone one 160 miles away with a kludgy "bow tie" hanging from my computer desk!!!!!!!

The only thing I can think of is possible tropo-ducting in the Long Island Sound (or an alien mothership hovering over Connecticut? - heh!)

As of this AM, all signal is gone, so it had to be atmospheric or ionospheric. Will try again tonight.

(btw, with the "bow-tie" I also got ch 5.1 pretty darned good too, but that's it for Boston stations) I'll soon be installing a Winegard PR-9018 in my attic where my reception for Boston will be much better.

If anyone else out there has any other weird reception occurrences, please share!

Regards,
Bob

Hi, I'm new to this forum and I would just like to share my experiences. I'm a total noob to this whole HDTV thing and since my building in Cambridge is historic it hasn't been wired for cable and there's no way I can mount a dish, so I'm forced to receive HDTV over-the-air. I live on the 4th story of a 5-story building with south facing windows, so I was pretty confident I could pick up something.

I did A LOT of research over which antenna to get and decided on the Winegard indoor HDTV antenna. I found out that Winegard actually sold the rights to sell their antenna to Terk and it's branded as the Terk HDTVIp. I picked it up from Best Buy for $140. This was a week-and-a-half ago. Best Buy also sold me a TV that didn't exist, got me all hot and bothered. Best Buy sucks. So I went online to Crutchfield.

I *just* received delivery of my new 30" Samsung widescreen CRT this morning. Crutchfield was great, BTW. I plugged in the Winegard/Terk, did a scan, and pulled in every local HDTV signal *EXCEPT* Fox. Tonight I'll play around with the location of the antenna a bit more before I mount it. Overall, I'm optimistic and can't wait to leave work and fool around with the new gadgets. :).

Overall, I'm optimistic and can't wait to leave work and fool around with the new gadgets. :).

Welcome noopsy. I telecommuted last Friday so I could calibrate by 6.1 system. :)
Getting new stuff is :cool:

Anyone notice if WBZ-DT 4-1 is operating at reduced power somehow? I notice my signal has dropped from around mid 80's to no more than 71. No matter what I do, I can't get it to go over 71. I'm guessing is that it must be some trees in the distance that have leaved considerably that the signal must pass thru to get to me.

I just bought a Sony KDF60XS955 (RPTV), and tried out an amplified Terk indoor antenna that was useless. The XS forum members seem united in condeming the Terk as hopeless, and are equally united in recommending the Zenith Silver Star.

Until I ran into this thread, I was poised to go out and get the ZSS. Since I live in Waltham, I thought the wizards here may have some more specific advice. I am a total novice and have zero knowledge of what is available and what an indoor antenna could be capable of rendering. I subscribe to basic cable by Comcast and am not in a position to shell out rental fees for the 'box' etc. So I'll make do with what an indoor antenna can provide. With that in mind, would anybody who is knowledgable in the field be kind enough to share his/her knowledge? Any information re antenna model, pros, cons, placement, etc would be most welcome!

My thanks in advance!

Manhar

I just bought a Sony KDF60XS955 (RPTV), and tried out an amplified Terk indoor antenna that was useless. The XS forum members seem united in condeming the Terk as hopeless, and are equally united in recommending the Zenith Silver Star.

Until I ran into this thread, I was poised to go out and get the ZSS. Since I live in Waltham, I thought the wizards here may have some more specific advice. I am a total novice and have zero knowledge of what is available and what an indoor antenna could be capable of rendering. I subscribe to basic cable by Comcast and am not in a position to shell out rental fees for the 'box' etc. So I'll make do with what an indoor antenna can provide. With that in mind, would anybody who is knowledgable in the field be kind enough to share his/her knowledge? Any information re antenna model, pros, cons, placement, etc would be most welcome!

My thanks in advance!

Manhar

You shouldn't need much of an antenna in Waltham. You need to make sure whatever you get is aimed at the antenna farms in Needham. Both farms are only 2-3% apart. Go to www.antennaweb.org to get that info. For an indoor antenna, I'd recommend the Zenith Silver Sensor. For an outdoor antenna, I'd recommend the www.antennasdirect.com DB4 4 bay bowtie. Try either of those and go from there. It's usually lots of trial and error. Also, check out the main antennas forum for more help.

Good Luck!!

Manhar,

I know this is not about OTA but ut seems your TV is digital cable ready. If you alreay have Comcast cable service, even the bare minimum Basic one, try plug the cable to the TV and do a channel scan. You should be able to get all the OTA channels from Comcast.

Manhar,

I know this is not about OTA but ut seems your TV is digital cable ready. If you alreay have Comcast cable service, even the bare minimum Basic one, try plug the cable to the TV and do a channel scan. You should be able to get all the OTA channels from Comcast.


Aha...but, The OTA channels I get using basic connection, gets me garden variety standard def. My understanding is that, with an antenna, I can actually get some HD channels, without paying more to the Comcast Thug! Correct me if I'm wrong, please!

Manhar

If your TV has a QAM tuner, it would be able to get the local broadcast channels in HD (at least the ones that Comcast carries). They don't encrypt those, and they don't cost extra.

Actually, up in the wiles of Cow Hampshire, not only do I get all the broadcast HD feeds unencrypted, but I also get unencrypted QAM copies of the SD channels, which gives me a significantly better picture than their analog equivalents.

Aha...but, The OTA channels I get using basic connection, gets me garden variety standard def. My understanding is that, with an antenna, I can actually get some HD channels, without paying more to the Comcast Thug! Correct me if I'm wrong, please!

Manhar

If your TV is digital cable ready (ie: has built-in QAM tuner), which I believe yours is, then you can get local HDTV broadcast from Comcast without paying extra. Currently Comcast carries all of them: PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN, and WB. They will not appear on the same channel numbers as Comcast advertise, but in the sub-channels between 75 to 85 in most area here. Just give it a try.

Check the Boston Comcast thread for more information. Including adding $5 to Basic to get ESPN, TNT-HD, Discovery HD, and INHDs (Sox games) using free CableCARD.

If your TV is digital cable ready (ie: has built-in QAM tuner), which I believe yours is, then you can get local HDTV broadcast from Comcast without paying extra. Currently Comcast carries all of them: PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN, and WB. They will not appear on the same channel numbers as Comcast advertise, but in the sub-channels between 75 to 85 in most area here. Just give it a try.

Check the Boston Comcast thread for more information. Including adding $5 to Basic to get ESPN, TNT-HD, Discovery HD, and INHDs (Sox games) using free CableCARD.

The specification section of the manual, under "Television System" includes "QAM on Cable".

I hooked up the basic cable to the TV, and did an auto scan. When the exercise was completed, I found ONE solitary HD channel (PBS, 84.1?) among the myriad that my TV picked up.

So, are you saying that I should pick up more HD channels with the set-up as is, or that I need to get the "free" cable card from Comcast to achieve that?

Do I get the Cable card AND the Zenith Silver Sensor antenna? Or will the cable card do away with the need for the antenna.

Thanks for all your help, guys!

Manhar

The last time I used a QAM tuner to scan Comcast was last weekend. 72 channels, including all the "music" channels, all the local HD broadcasters, all the SD local broadcasters, TNT-HD, the teaser/preview channels, CN8 and a bunch of VoD channels (that just play whatever happens to be going on at the neighbor's right now).

Manhar,

I think your questions will be better answered in Comcast thread. But you might be seeing SD programming on HD channels. Channel surf during prime time will get you a better picture (no pun intended).

Anyone notice some occasional sound crackling when watching WSBK-DT?

Anyone notice some occasional sound crackling when watching WSBK-DT?


yes -- i notice it whether i am watching OTA or on Comcast Channel 838.

Must be the increased foliage but on Monday I lost complete signal of WFXT-DT using my Silver Sensor. My other Boston OTA digitals (2,4,5,7,38,56) are fine. I did some adjustments that increased the signal somewhat but still not enough to pull the signal consistently. I'm going to try and place the silver sensor outside and see if that helps.

Must be the increased foliage but on Monday I lost complete signal of WFXT-DT using my Silver Sensor.

Exactly the same thing happened to me too. I'm in Chelmsford, and get all the other Boston stations well. WFXT-DT has always been problematic, and now I can't get a lock on it at all! When are they going to full power?

Anyone notice some occasional sound crackling when watching WSBK-DT?


I have the same issue with 38-1 on my HD-Directivo. Really bad last night.

I also can't get WFXT (from Brookline). I can get all the other major stations...

Why is there no sound on WB56 none via OTA or cable?

Why is there no sound on WB56 none via OTA or cable?


I've tuned in and noticed the sound off a few times within the past several days on cable and verified with my OTA receiver. The picture went to color bars right before the audio was restored yesterday. I've seen previous post's saying Comcast's source is OTA. So WLVI or WB network may be having issues.

RYankowitz, Is WSBK-DT having problems? The video has been glitching all day and is happening during the Sox game. And no, it is not signal related, I have a strong signal with no fluctuation.

Jim

I have no WSBK-DT. WLVI-DT is audio only. Now I have NO RED SOX! :(

Me Too. Strong signal, no broadcast.

Same here - I am not happy!!!

RYankowitz, Is WSBK-DT having problems? The video has been glitching all day and is happening during the Sox game. And no, it is not signal related, I have a strong signal with no fluctuation.

Jim
We are investigating. The problem appears to affect only some receivers. The receivers in our Master Control room are not affected, so we weren't aware anything was wrong. Thanks to your messages, we are now.

What kind of receivers are you using?

not picture or sound here on hd tivo (hr10-250) - good signal strength

Hey -

A transplanted Bostonian here, living outside of Philly, watching game just fine OTA on UPN channel.

Same here. No picture and sound here on Comcast.

I have Sony's SAT-HD100 and SAT-HD300

WSBK is BACK!!! wooohoo!! Good job!

Still nothing on my hd tivo - Samsung ts-360 is fine

WSBK is BACK!!! wooohoo!! Good job!
Back, sorta/kinda. Our MPEG encoder was confused and depressed. We've put on a spare, but we're still working on PSIP issues, so if you're not getting us, try channel 39.1.

I get only sound but no image now on Comcast.

Back, sorta/kinda. Our MPEG encoder was confused and depressed. We've put on a spare, but we're still working on PSIP issues, so if you're not getting us, try channel 39.1.
And now PSIP is fixed, so you should be able to get it on 38.1.

You may have to tune to another channel, then back. Worst case, you may need to perform a re-scan, depending on your receiver.

Let me know how you make out (HDTV-wise, that is)...

Back to normal on Comcast. Thanks.

We are investigating. The problem appears to affect only some receivers. The receivers in our Master Control room are not affected, so we weren't aware anything was wrong. Thanks to your messages, we are now.

What kind of receivers are you using?

I am using a Samsung TS160 and MyHD MDP-120, both were getting video glitches, but it seemed like you fixed it within the first few innings, THANKS!

Jim

PS: I almost called but lost the phone #

all back to normal - thanks for being on top of it

Hi All! I'm looking for recommendations on a new indoor antenna. (I know, I know, but I can't have an outdoor one here....)

I live high on Bunker Hill, the towers are not that far away in Needham, and I've been using a Terk HDTVi antenna on top of the set. I get all the local Boston stations fine in digital (2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1, 25.1, 44.1, 44.2, 56.1, etc.) -- EXCEPT the one that carries the Red Sox games on Friday nights! The station comes in ok in analog (38) if I fiddle with the antenna, but nothing on 38.1. (I had thought that 38 maybe hadn't gone digital yet, but I was wrong.) Recently also, Fox 25.1 has started to get touchy once in a while. Cable and outdoor or attic antennas are not options.

I've scanned some of the postings here and have seen mixed reviews for the Terk, and some recommendations for the Zenith Silver Sensor -- is that model still the popular choice for an indoor antenna? Would a preamp or some other easy device help? Thanks very much! Mark

Welcome to the forums, but you should post your location.
Not everyone knows where 'Bunker Hill' is.

I assume this would be used other than a attic or crawl space? If so, get the 'Silver Sensor" or it's equivivent for under $20. I wouldn't consider anything else. Don't bother with a preamp.

Thanks for the recommendations. Sorry I wasn't clear on my location -- Bunker Hill is in Charlestown, part of Boston.

Anyone else having reception problems this evening with ALL the digitals? It must be the heavily saturated air mass but I'm having problems with even my strongest channels. My signal meter on my HD Tivo is showing 90+ signals for 19-1, 20-1, 42-1 and 41-1 but I am getting constant image freezing and pixellations. I have 3 different tuners fed by the same antenna, and all 3 are being affected.

Anyone else having reception problems this evening with ALL the digitals? It must be the heavily saturated air mass but I'm having problems with even my strongest channels. My signal meter on my HD Tivo is showing 90+ signals for 19-1, 20-1, 42-1 and 41-1 but I am getting constant image freezing and pixellations. I have 3 different tuners fed by the same antenna, and all 3 are being affected.

Benji it is because you are a VT fan maybe you should move again. I have seen no problems which is unusual for me

Benji it is because you are a VT fan maybe you should move again. I have seen no problems which is unusual for me
Being a VT fan (ranked #5 in at least 1 pre-season poll) is a good thing and would certainly postively affect my OTA reception, not negatively. In any case, I am moving to East Bridgewater next month and will opt for Comcast to do away once and for all with reception problems, not to mention, watch the Sox repeat their WS title in HD.

You mean to tell me that you aren't waiting to get D* and their HD locals? I think D* will have NESN HD next year from what NESN has just recently told me.

#5 and already falling fast and the season hasn't even started yet

You mean to tell me that you aren't waiting to get D* and their HD locals? I think D* will have NESN HD next year from what NESN has just recently told me.

#5 and already falling fast and the season hasn't even started yet
Steve...I'm surprised at you. You should know better than to listen to D* CSRs promising you things that they have no clue about. Anyway I want to watch the Sox in HD while they're worth watching. For all we know they could suk next year.

I didn't get the info from a CSR it was a guy over at NESN believe me I know better. I agree watch the Sox now in HD while they are good because who knows what they will be like down the road. Are you selling all your D* stuff? What about that crappy Comcrap HD DVR how are you going to use that after a HD TIVO that is a huge downgrade

I didn't get the info from a CSR it was a guy over at NESN believe me I know better. I agree watch the Sox now in HD while they are good because who knows what they will be like down the road. Are you selling all your D* stuff? What about that crappy Comcrap HD DVR how are you going to use that after a HD TIVO that is a huge downgrade
I will have to sell my HD Tivo for pennies on the dollar. It works perfectly but I won't have any use for it anymore. My other D* receiver is built in to my RCA F38310. I'll learn to live with Comcast's DVR. I will also get a cable card and do some recording to my DVHS.

Well I guess the good news is you will have TIVO with Comcrap next year so maybe you will want to try holding onto that box but then again it probably won't work with cable

Whatever the problem was early this morning with the Boston digitals seems to have resolved itself. All stations are coming in clean and strong this afternoon. 30-1 also is registering back at 92% on my HD Tivo. For the past 2 weeks it hovered around 70%. This is with no adjustment to my antenna.

Benji - if the price is right I might take that hr10-250 off your hands - email me @ jalferes2000@hotmail.com when you are ready to sell it.

Benji - if the price is right I might take that hr10-250 off your hands - email me @ jalferes2000@hotmail.com when you are ready to sell it.
E-mail on its way